Our Teens Creating

 Our upcoming art fundraiser will feature our teen art!!!

Teen Camp Art Show is Just Around the Corner!

Have you seen the fabulous art our teens have made to help fundraise for Teen Camp this Winter? Here is a sneak preview!

Keep an eye out for our teens' art in the Social Hall this September. All art sale proceeds go toward funding our teens attending Winter Teen Camp in Oregon. 

Thank You to Our Youth Volunteers!

 

Each third Thursday of the month our Youth and Family volunteers come together for professional development and community in service of the Center's Youth. This past Thursday we threw a lovely celebration for our Youth and Family volunteers, with food, break out groups to brainstorm about our programs, and beautiful friendship.

If you feel called to join us in the fun, reach out to Jennifer at youth@cslsr.org! Or drop in on our monthly 3rd Thursday meeting at the Center to learn more about the program and how you can get plugged in. 

CSLSR Softball Team Welcomes You

Come out on Monday nights and root for the Center’s softball team.

Location: Northwest Community Park, 2880 West Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. Park in the lot you first see. Our playing field is the only one bordering the access road, which you can also park on. (There are two other fields to the west.)

Here is a schedule of the games:

Mon. 7/31 at 8:50 pm – Team CSL vs. All About That Base

Mon. 8/7 at 7:40 pm – Team CSL vs. Community Action Sluggers

Mon. 8/14 at 7:40 pm – Team CSL vs. The Foldy Holds

Playoffs will be announced if we make it!

Coloring Pages at the Center

 

Parents and Grandparents, we would love to hear from you! We are working hard to bring Youth and Family back to our Center, and we want to be sure we're providing the loving support that you and your children most need.

Would you consider filling out the short survey below to tell us what you're looking for in a Youth and Family program? We greatly appreciate your input.

Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfhh60m0n.../viewform

Based on our visioning practice with friends, parents, and former volunteers in Youth and Family, we've started providing coloring pages for young people attending services and have set up a station with small chairs and tables in our social hall where children can visit and color. we've started pinning the artwork on our walls, like these recent Mother's Day greetings. 

We will expand our coloring pages to include spiritual lessons and guides so that families have something to take home and enjoy.

For a whole family experience, consider Rev. Russ's monthly Spirit Walks - watch this spot for updated information about future walks and contact Rev. Russ about the difficulty level and appropriateness for young ones.

Spirit Walks - Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa (cslsr.org)

Lots of love,

Edward Viljoen, Senior Minister

November 2021 Update

As 2021 edges into the holiday season and a brand new year is emerging on the horizon, we want to acknowledge with much love and appreciation all of the care and dedication Susan Robinson has put into creating and maintaining this extraordinary resource for parents and children of all ages. Although Susan has moved on from her position as Youth and Family Ministry Director at the Center, we will keep her blog posts available for the valuable inspiration they provide.

Kind regards and best wishes,
Allan Yeager
Webmaster and Communications Officer

When the road gets rocky - Values: Meditation - Faith - Friends

When I sat down to write this weeks blog I had a personal giggle as I looked at the topic for this week "When the road gets rocky." The giggle was in retrospect over my personal experiences this week, which have indeed been a bit rocky. Yet my faith, meditation practices along with great friends and family, were there to support me in knowing my highest good and well being. 

One such experience occurred Tuesday morning. After arriving at work I had a strange experience of foggy vision where I could only see clearly looking straight on. My boss (who is also a great friend) was immediately concerned and suggested we go to the ER. On the way there, I closed my eyes and went into a state of meditation knowing answers were on the way. While going through several CT scan's of my brain, I remained calm by mentally chanting, "My good is my God, my God is my good" over and over until the scans were complete. While I waited for the test results, I had a lovely and comforting conversation with my son. Through it all I had faith that I was in the right place at the right time, surrounded by the right people who were there for my highest and best good! The tests came back clear and I left with a diagnosis of ocular migraine w/o pain. Thank you, Spirit! 

I am reminded that regardless of where we are on the road of life, or within our parenting experience, there will always be rocky moments. Moments where we might not immediately know the answers or how to proceed, however that does not mean the answers are not available or that we can not access them. With faith, trust and tapping into our inner state of peace, we humans can and do get through the bumps in life. 

"Peace doesn't deny difficulty, but it has an inner calm and quietness even while enduring the difficulty." Glenn C. Stewart

Prayer is powerful. It can be done anywhere, anytime and reaching out for prayer support is another way to open to Peace. 

If you are in need of prayer or wish to look into what our local center has available for prayer support click either of the links below. You will likely receive a redirect notice, just click the link in the redirect and it will take you to the pages on our Center's website. Licensed Prayer Practitioners are also available on a fee for service basis. 

https://cslsr.org/spiritual-support/

https://cslsr.org/members/practitioners/

"Seek to make your work a prayer, your believing an act, your living an art. It is then that the object of your faith will be made visible to you." Ernest Holmes

Having a good support system or friend network to tap into is also helpful. This applies to parents and children. Having a quiet space in your home can also be very helpful. Calm down corners are quite popular. You can fill them with stuffed animals, books, meditation timers, finger labyrinths you name it. There are many ideas on the internet if you need a little help getting started. 

Research and knowledge can also be helpful. Having good safety practices in place can help when an emergency arrises. Below is a link to the US Department of Health and Human Services - Safety practices for Toddlers and more. While this article mostly talks about younger children there are two links at the bottom with more tips. 

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/safety-practices/article/tips-keeping-infants-toddlers-safe-developmental-guide-home-visitors-toddlers

Love, Love and more Love ~ It may sound corny...and, I have found that Love is often the answer too many things. In situations of challenge, upset, confusion or distress it is often a cry for Love I am seeking, or some degree of deep understanding and compassion which I define as a loving act. 

When we can pay it forward in Love for others, it deepens our Faith and bond of friendship. 

This week if your road gets a bit rocky or if you witness others in a rocky spot, remember you are not only supported by a Power of Good - the Power of God/Spirit/Life/LOVE ~ that Power lives within you. And you have a community that you can turn to for support and prayer when needed. 

Books to explore: 

Love - by Matt de la Pena

Where ever you are my love will find you - by Nancy Tillman

The Magical Yet - by Angela Di Terlizzi

Blessings to you all ~ 

Susan

Photo credit to the artist on Unsplash.com Melissa Askew, Alexey Demidov & Alvin Madmudov